The present invention is directed to mixing devices for mixing viscous liquids such as paint or oil base stains and has a practical application whenever settling occurs in liquids or whereever the thorough mixing of samples is desired.
The problem with the separation of various paint components prior to their use is well known and is most commonly solved by stirring the paint with the all too familiar paint stick. Others have developed a variety of different inserts for use in paint mixing in an attempt to alleviate this problem. One example of a paint can insert is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,482 issued to Engler on June 1, 1982. The Engler patent discloses a round insert which has a plurality of mixing plates thereon arranged in a generally diagonal pattern to cause the fluid to move upwardly or downwardly depending upon the rotation of the container.
Another familiar approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,772, issued to Burton-Smith on Mar. 3, 1981. The Burton-Smith patent discloses a mixing pail having a pair of parallel, offset, oppositely directed baffles which are attached to the bottom of the pail and are designed to overlap at the center of the pail. Another insert of this type is the agitator disclosed by Hiser in U.S. Pat. No. 3,224,742. The Hiser invention consists of a plurality of radially extending arms which rotate along the bottom of the container to scrape the pigment from the bottom and sides of the container thereby mixing the pigment with the remaining paint.
The present invention provides the prior art's claimed advantages of simplicity and ease of manufacture. Additionally, with the increased use of plastic containers, one embodiment of the present invention may be molded as part of the plastic container to form a unitary mixing container capable of mixing the contents of the container whenever it is necessary. The use of a plastic container also aids in the cleaning and reusability of the container for the mixing of other liquids.